


nb!Sawyer and the Supportive Space Family

by SandstoneSunspear



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Non-binary character, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 00:50:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12716367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandstoneSunspear/pseuds/SandstoneSunspear
Summary: Also known as: Sawyer has the best Space Family ever.-In which Sawyer packs, wins at Clue, has heart-to-heart with Space Dad, and other Super Family dorkiness.





	nb!Sawyer and the Supportive Space Family

**Author's Note:**

> nb!Sawyer is @sapphicscholarwrites baby. That said, for this piece, please direct whatever ills and death threats you may have at me and not her. She's a good person and definitely doesn't deserve that kind of vitriol.
> 
> For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy reading this fic!

It wasn’t the first time Sawyer had packed. There had been days when their dysphoria was a little too much and their binder just wasn’t enough--days when a little voice in their head insisted that they weren’t enough, that they would never be enough. And so, they packed to push back and shut that voice up.

Lately, though, that voice had been quiet. They were happier than ever. They had a work partner that wasn’t a complete ass, a new chosen family, and a wonderful girlfriend who loved them for exactly who they were. 

Still, Sawyer couldn’t help but feel nervous as they adjusted their trousers. This was the first time they had packed in public since they and Alex had started dating. Logically, they knew that there was no real reason for them to be scared. Alex knew they packed on occasion. She didn’t have a problem with it, unlike some of the women Sawyer had dated in the past. And she had always been supportive of anything they did to try to feel more like themselves.

“Sawyer, babe?” A knock at the door startled them. “You almost ready? If we don’t leave soon, Kara’s going to eat all the pizza!”

“Y-yeah!” they called back. They silently cursed the stutter in their voice. “Give me a sec, just have to fix my belt!” They loudly rearranged their belt, clanking the metal buckle against the metal endpiece to try to make their excuse a little more believable.

Sawyer looked up into the mirror and patted imaginary dust off their pants. The bulge was barely noticeable. Someone would have to really be looking to identify it. They nodded their approval. 

_ Alright, Sawyer, fortify on up. _ They stepped out of the bathroom to see Alex dressed in one of their flannels and a pair of black jeans. Their mouth went dry.

Alex glanced up from the shirt buttons she was doing up. She smiled when she caught sight of Sawyer’s expression. “See something you like, Sawyer?”

_ Hell yes.  _ Sawyer gave their lover a lopsided grin. “Is that a serious question, Danvers?” they asked. “Because I’m pretty sure you know the answer.”

Alex laughed. “I do, but it’s nice to get some confirmation,” she said. She eyed them. “You’re looking handsome as always too, you know.”

Sawyer felt their cheeks heat up. They looked down at their simple grey hoodie and black slacks. They bit their lip, resisting the urge to tug at their hoodie.

“You think? It’s not too simple or anything?” 

Alex stepped close and wrapped her arms around them. “You look fine, Sawyer,” she said. 

“Even with the whole…” they trailed off, motioning downward.

“Yes,” she replied without hesitation. Alex’s heart broke a little at just how uncertain they still looked. She sighed. “Sawyer, it’s just Game Night. Everyone’s going to be too busy trying to stop Kara from eating all the potstickers to notice.” She tilted her head to the side. “Honestly, if you hadn’t told me beforehand that you were packing tonight, I wouldn’t have known.”

Sawyer nodded.  _ True enough.  _ Then a thought struck them. They felt themself pale. 

“Shit, your boss!” they panicked. “He can read minds, Alex--”

“And he won’t care, either.” Alex placed a hand on their face to calm them down. “Babe, my boss is an alien who can alter his appearance at will. I’m pretty sure he gets it.”

Sawyer let out a slow exhale, trying to get their anxiety under control. “Right.” 

Alex’s eyes softened. “If you’re not comfortable going out tonight, we can always stay in,” she reassured them. “Order some pizza without worrying about Kara eating it all, pull up Star Trek…”

A small smile twitched at Sawyer’s lips. What had they done to deserve such a wonderful woman? Emily would’ve paid them dismissive compliments before telling them to get over it. Darla had been more fuck buddy than anything else. She had never really understood the hang ups humans had with gender. And Nicole would’ve tried to understand, but at the end of the day, she just couldn’t. 

“Thank you, Alex, but it’s okay.” Leaning over, they pressed a soft kiss to her lips that was over far too soon.  “Besides, we already told Kara that we were coming over.”

“Alright.” Alex stepped back and brushed her hands against their shoulders. “We should get going then, otherwise there won’t be anything left for us to eat.”

Sawyer laughed. “Yeah, that’s true.” A beat. “I love you, Alex.”

Alex smiled widely. She gently pressed her lips to theirs. “Love you too, Sawyer,” she murmured.

-

“Sawyer!” Kara squealed as soon as they and Alex stepped through the door. She pulled them into a hug that made them grunt. “You’re finally here!”

Sawyer coughed. “Yeah!” they wheezed out. “A-air, Little Danvers!”

Kara quickly let go. “Oh, right, sorry!” She was normally better about keeping her strength in check, but she really enjoyed seeing Sawyer. They made Alex happier than she’d ever seen her. Not to mention, they knew some of the best takeout places in all of National City--and all of which were wins in her book.

Alex rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her sister’s enthusiasm. She spotted an empty box of cupcakes and sighed. “Did you at least leave any cupcakes for us, Kara?”

Kara huffed at the insinuation. “Of course! I only had a few!”

“And by a few, she means ten!” Winn shouted from the living room.

“Winn!” Winn just chuckled, knowing the threat meant little coming from Kara. Had it been the older Danvers...well, that was another story.

Sawyer laughed. “It’s alright, Little Danvers,” they reassured. “As long as you left some for us, we’re good.” Even if Kara hadn’t, Sawyer couldn’t find it in themselves to be too upset. They viewed Kara as the younger sister they never got to know after their parents had kicked them out. She was so happy and full of life, like sunshine personified. If it meant that Kara would keep smiling as warmly as she was in that moment, then Sawyer would give her all the cupcakes.

“Sawyer?” Alex spoke up.

“Yes, dear?”

“Please don’t encourage her.”

Sawyer smirked. “Yes, dear,” they repeated, winking at Kara when Alex turned her attention away from them.

Kara clapped happily. She gave them another quick hug. “You’re awesome, Sawyer!” The ping of the oven had her quickly pulling away. “Oh, the cookies!” She zipped away from the pair, leaving them by the door with each other.

Sawyer’s hand found its way into Alex’s, and Alex settled her head against their shoulder.

“You still want to stick around?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah.” It would look bad if the two of them left so soon after arriving. There was plenty of food that needed eating, they reasoned, and Sawyer had a feeling that Alex’s help would be needed to make sure that Kara left some food for everyone else. Besides, they could feel themself starting to relax. 

The two fell into an easy silence. Alex snuggled a little more into Sawyer as best she could while standing. They watched as Kara fluttered about the kitchen, chatting with Lena as she moved cookies and other baked goods about.

“She didn’t say anything,” they muttered after a while.

“Nope.” Alex quietly popped the p. She glanced at them. “If you don’t make a big deal out it, neither will Kara.” She let out a soft laugh. “And in all honesty, she can be pretty oblivious to some things.”

“That’s true.” For a woman with x-ray vision, Kara had a hard time spotting the obvious sometimes.

Alex squeezed their hand. “Hey.” She bumped her hip against theirs. “You say the word at anytime, and we can go home and grab some take out.”

“And eat it in bed?” Sawyer asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You can have your Lo Mein in bed, Detective.” Alex saw the hopeful gleam in their eye and quickly moved to shut them down. “But your fortune cookies stay in the kitchen.” 

Sawyer sighed. “Alright, you have a deal, Danvers.” Before Alex could react, they drew her into a warm kiss. They grinned at the noise of surprise she made at the unexpected, but not unwelcome, move. They pulled away sooner than either would’ve liked. “You’re awesome, Alex.”

She rolled her eyes playfully at them. “I know.” A beat. “Flattery still won’t get your fortune cookies into bed with us.”

Sawyer shrugged. “Worth a try.”

-

Winn and Sawyer glared intently at each other. The two were the only remaining players in the latest round of Clue, the last twenty minutes having seen Alex, James, and Kara banished to the sidelines. It was surprising for everyone involved that Winn had lasted as long as he had.

“...It was Colonel Mustard in the study with a candlestick,” Sawyer finally announced.

Sawyer and Winn glanced at Lena for confirmation. As the game’s moderator, she quickly flipped the envelope. Both stared intently at her, awaiting her confirmation. Finally, she nodded at Sawyer.

“They’re right,” she confirmed.

“Yes!” Sawyer cheered as they fist-pumped. 

“Fuck!” Winn tossed his hands up. “How?”

“They’re a detective, Mr. Schott,” J’onn spoke up. He had been decided to sit the game out, noting how his powers gave him an unfair advantage. “They detect.”

Winn pouted. “That’s not fair!” he complained. “It’s like playing pool with Alex!”

Sawyer shook their head. “Hey, you’re the one who decided it was a good idea to play a crime solving game against an actual cop, Winn,” they said with hands held high.

Winn huffed. He started spluttering moments later when Alex reached out and fluffed up his hair.

“Cheer up, sport, maybe next time,” she teased him. 

“Dammit, Alex!” he whined as he tried to flatten his hair. 

Alex just laughed. She stood, grabbing her empty soda bottle. There were a few bottles of beer floating around, though none of them had touched Alex’s lips. In fact, she hadn’t had a drop of alcohol in months--not since Sawyer had quietly raised concerns about her drinking habits. 

“I’m going to get a refill,” she told Sawyer. “You want anything?”

“Another soda would be great.” Despite Alex’s protests, they’d abstained from alcohol in solidarity with her. 

Alex leaned down at gently kissed the side of Sawyer’s head. “You got it, Mx. Sawyer.” She grinned at them. “One soda coming right up.”

-

“Hey, Sawyer, something seems different about you tonight,” Winn remarked suddenly once Alex had left for the kitchen.

Sawyer felt themselves stiffen. They resisted the urge to look down. It went unnoticed by everyone aside from J’onn who frowned but said nothing. 

Outwardly, Sawyer kept a calm face. “What’d you mean?” They gave him a confused look.

Winn leaned forward, rubbing his chin. His brow furrowed. “You got a haircut!” he finally said.

It took everything Sawyer had to not collapse in on themselves in relief. They gave him a smirk. “You’re a bit late on the upkeep, Schott,” they said as they ran a hand through their short cropped hair, enjoying the way the soft shaved sides felt against their palm. “I had this done about two weeks ago.”

“No way! I would’ve noticed!”

“C’mon, man, I think it’s pretty established that you’re about as observant as Kara,” James said, amused.

His comment garnered two very indignant, “Heys!” from Kara and Winn. Sawyer bit their lip to keep from laughing at the matching pouts both wore. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw Lena doing the same, though she also sported a pair of heart-eyes that were aimed fully at Kara. 

Sawyer chuckled. If it sounded fake to anyone else, they didn’t let on. They got up. “I’m gonna go see what’s taking Alex so long,” they said.

J’onn stood as well. “I’ll go with you, Detective.” At the barely concealed look of panic they shot him, he continued smoothly. “I’m in need of a refill as well.”

Sawyer let out a quiet breath. “Right.”

-

Alex was pulling two Cokes from the fridge when J’onn and Sawyer walked into the kitchen. She looked up to see a very flustered Sawyer with J’onn quick on their heels. She stood.

“Sawyer? Everything okay?” she asked. They looked a little green around the gills.

“‘M fine, Alex,” they tried to reassure her. The small waver in their voice convinced absolutely no one.

J’onn motioned for Alex to hand him one of the sodas. Upon receiving it, he handed it to Sawyer who promptly tossed the entire thing back. They immediately began making sounds akin to a new set of tires against pavement as the carbonated drink burned down their throat. 

“If you could give us a moment, Alex, I believe Sawyer and I had something to discuss.”

Alex eyed the two warily. Sawyer continued to splutter. A small, reassuring smile from J’onn and a tilt of his head eased her concerns but only slightly.

“We won’t be long, Alex.”

She nodded. She clapped Sawyer hard on the back on her way out. The force of the blow finally got them to stop choking. They wheezed out a, “Thanks, babe,” followed by a, “Love you!”

Alex rolled her eyes good naturedly. “Love you too, dork.” She glanced at J’onn. “Whatever it is the two of you have to talk about, please make sure it doesn’t scare them too much. They’re the only one here, aside from Lena, able to wrestle potstickers from Kara.”

J’onn chuckled and made a shooing motion with his hand.

-

“Take a breath, Sawyer, before you fall over,” J’onn admonished them as soon as Alex was out of earshot.

Sawyer took a breath.  _ Oh, wow, that’s better. _ They could feel their cheeks burning. 

J’onn reached out and placed a hand on their shoulder with a surprisingly amount of gentleness. “You really have nothing to worry about, Sawyer,” he said quietly.

Their shoulders slumped. “Is it that obvious?” they asked.

“To everyone else, no. To me, well...” A smile played at J’onn’s lips. “I  _ can _ read minds.”

“Right.” Sawyer leaned against the counter, soda bottle still in hand. “I’ve done this before, you know. Just...not  _ this. _ ” They motioned vaguely to Kara’s entire apartment.

J’onn made a noise of understanding. He didn’t need his powers to catch the underlying meaning of their gesture. It was obvious from their nervous conduct that Sawyer had never packed while with loved ones.

“I can assure you, Sawyer, that none of them noticed.” He held his hand up to stop whatever protest was making its way up their throat. “The only reason I noticed was because you were very loud with your thoughts.”

“And you--”

“Don’t find issue with it.” Why would he? As a species of shapeshifters, Martians didn’t have the same binaries, or the obsession with said binaries, that much of humanity had. “If packing is what helps you feel comfortable with yourself, then go with it. Don’t let others dictate what it is you do to make yourself comfortable.”

Sawyer swallowed back a lump that had risen in their throat. A brief memory of Emily’s discontent with them packing flashed through their mind. They shook their head.  _ No.  _

J’onn frowned at the image that played in Sawyer’s head. He felt a surge of white-hot anger sear through him but quickly tamped it down. Sawyer was one of his space children, and a relatively new one at that. Though his anger wasn’t directed at them, it was likely that the sight of it would have them shutting down. 

“Whatever issues that your previous partners raised with your manner of presentation are  _ their  _ issues, Sawyer,” he said firmly. “Not yours.” 

Sawyer could feel tears starting to rise up. They bit their lip. If they came back with wet eyes or a dripping nose, then everyone would know that something was up.

J’onn squeezed their shoulder. “You’re valid, Sawyer.” He grinned at them. “You’re still the same person that makes Alex melt and smile in a way that, up until she started dating you, I hadn’t seen her do in years.”

Sawyer placed the soda bottle onto the counter before giving J’onn a tight hug. They could feel their anxiety bleeding away. They sniffled. 

“Thank you,” they said quietly. 

J’onn returned the hug. “What are Space Parents for, Mx. Sawyer?”

Sawyer let out a wet chuckle. 

-

Sawyer and J’onn walked back into the living room just in time to see Alex launch a blue shell at Winn’s Yoshi-driven cart.

“Ha! Eat that, Schott!” she crowed.

His cry of, “Dammit, Alex!” was followed by several inventive curse words as Bowser sped right past Yoshi.

Kara loudly cheered Alex on as James laughed at Winn’s expense. An amused smile sat on Lena’s lips. The L-Corp CEO looked more than content to watch the festivities unfold. 

Winn looked up just as J’onn sat down.

“Oh, hey, J’onn, you’re back!” His brow furrowed as he shot a glance at Sawyer. “What took you both so long?”

Sawyer maneuvered themselves behind Alex. They wrapped their arms around her waist and placed a kiss on her cheek, drawing a hum from her but otherwise her attention remained on the Rainbow Road in front of her.

“I was interrogating J’onn and trying to see just how long he knew it was Colonel Mustard in the study with a candlestick,” Sawyer lied smoothly.  

Yoshi flew off Rainbow Road as Winn’s head snapped to J’onn.

“You knew the entire game?!”

J’onn merely raised an eyebrow at him. “I  _ can _ read minds, Mr. Schott,” he reminded him.

Winn huffed and turned his attention back to the screen just in time to see Bowser crossing the finish line.

“Dammit!” he cursed. The lack of real heat in his words made it clear to everyone that his frustration was with himself.

Alex whooped. “Oh yeah! Two for two!” She pointed at Winn. “You know what that means: your share of potstickers are mine!”

Winn pouted as he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, Alex,” he snarked. “I swear, you’re almost as bad as Kara.”

His comment had two very disgruntled, “Heys!” echoing in the living room. It was followed by Puppy Dog eyes from Kara, aimed at Alex. 

“Nope.” Alex shook her head and held her hands up. “Not happening, Kara, I won those potstickers fair and square.”

Kara looked ready to protest but was cut off by Lena leaning close. Whatever it was that Lena murmured in Kara’s ear had the Puppy Dog eyes vanishing as quickly as they appeared. Kara smiled widely and gave Lena a tight hug.

Alex rolled her eyes. Her sister could be so blind sometimes. She leaned back into Sawyer’s embrace, then reached back and ran her fingers through the scruffy mess on top. 

“You and J’onn have a good talk?” she murmured quietly. 

Sawyer leaned down and kissed her forehead. Alex’s ministrations with their hair drew a small rumble from them. 

“Yeah.” A beat. “He’s a pretty awesome Space Parent.”

Alex let out a low chuckle. “He really is.”

She moved her hand from their hair and intertwined their fingers. She squeezed their hand.

“Love you, Sawyer.”

Sawyer grinned as they squeezed her hand back. “Love you too, Danvers.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't forget leave kudos and comments! Feel free to check me out on tumblr @sandstonesunspear. Also stop by and check out @sapphicscholarwrites because her stories are awesome.


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